Korean Style Fried Chicken

Olympic Fusion Food
The Olympics start this week. Opening ceremonies are Friday night but there are some events that have already started a competition. If you have been reading this blog for any amount of time you will know how much I love the Olympics. Especially the Winter Olympics.

Why do I love the Winter Olympics? Because you get to watch sports that at any other time you would never watch. I’m not saying that I am setting my alarm so that I can sit down and watch a curling match but I AM interested in the biathlon and speed skating. Sure figure skating is cool and downhill skiing is always exciting, but ever since Eddie The Eagle, I am a fool for the ski jumping competition.

The best part of watching the Olympics is that I know for a couple of hours each night, my entire family will be in the same room watching the same thing. That may not sound like a big deal but getting everyone in the same place doing something together (and not on their phones) is a rare thing. So, since I will have their undivided attention, I plan to make the appropriate fare for watching the competition.

For watching the Opening Ceremonies It makes sense to make something with a Korean flavor. Since it is Friday night, there won’t be any time for an elaborate dinner but a little pre-made Kim Chi from our Produce department is a good start. Of course, you could always go the bulgogi route because its quick, easy and tasty but I want to do something a little different.

While searching for recipes I found this one which is perfect. It’s a nod to the host country but still allows for a little national pride ‘cause what’s more American than fried chicken? I like the boneless skinless thighs because they cook quickly but you could easily do this with whole chicken legs or even wings. Traditional recipes call for the chicken to be fried twice but I’m not that patient….

Korean Style Fried Chicken
Adapted from NY Times Cooking recipe by Julia Moskin

Fried Chicken, or chicin, became popular in Korea because of American cultural influence around the Korean War. In South Korea, fried chicken is consumed as a meal, an appetizer, or as an after-meal snack.
Read more…

The 2018 Fancy Food Show and Spicy Baked Chicken Wings

Trending
Monday was the Fancy Food show at the Moscone center. My body is still recovering from the walking, standing, and eating. While it is definitely a long day of walking booth to booth, talking to people in the industry, and sampling everything you could possibly speak of, it is also one of my most favorite annual traditions. I love getting a look at what’s hot when it comes to food. Go to https://www.royalvending.com.au/vending-machine-adelaide/ for your vending machine needs.

As a rule, what’s trending at the show is usually a year or two behind what is happening in the restaurant world. For example, Korean food, in general, has been super-trendy and Kimchi specifically has been popular for its fantastic spicy flavor and also its health benefits as a fermented food. Without question, there were plenty of Korean-influenced products from hot sauces to Kimchi kits. But, plenty of other Asian flavors were represented as well. Matcha was very popular both on its own and as a flavoring for lattes, ice cream, chocolate, and other tasty dessert items. And, don’t be surprised to see a lot of Phillippino foods popping up at a store near you.

The Sriracha phenomenon is still going strong and the sauce had plenty of representation. One of my favorite products was a cross between a teriyaki sauce and Sriracha called, appropriately, Teriacha. Spicy sweet goodness! All I could think about was putting it on chicken wings. Good lord that would be tasty. Look for it on our shelves soon ‘cause I gotta have more of that stuff.

The popularity of jerky has not waned and in fact has grown to also include meat sticks. These are not your father’s Slim Jims. There are no nitrates or scary orange grease seeping out of them. The organic meats and well thought out ingredients make these new era meat sticks the perfect high protein snack to curb your hunger. And they’re kinda fun…also perfect for school lunches. Just sayin’…

As usual, there was plenty of sweet stuff. The chocolate was abundant and it was my humble duty to taste it all. Sometimes you gotta just take one for the team. Macaroons were everywhere as were grab-and-go filled crepes. There was even a cotton candy company called Sugar and Spun that was whipping up some out-of-this-world organic cotton candy. I was lucky to taste the strawberry shortcake flavor which is sprinkled with vanilla cookies and organic strawberries for an incredibly authentic fresh flavor. Other flavors included cookies and cream, Matcha Green Tea Latte (See? Told ya.), Habanero Pineapple and a whole bunch of other interesting flavors.

Not gonna lie, I expected there to be more bone broth. Don’t get me wrong there was plenty of bone broth just not as much as I thought there would be. My personal favorite was from Bonafide Provisions who had a great line of bone broths as well as what they call Drinkable Veggies which is a blend of whole vegetables and bone broth. So good! And a great grab and go way to get your veggies.

So those are the highlights for now. We are all still trying to process everything that we saw. It usually takes a few days to talk amongst ourselves and figure out what we need to bring in and put on the shelf. Keep an eye out for new and interesting items and since we don’t have that Teriacha sauce yet, I’m going to make a batch of these to tide me over.the flavor isn’t exactly the same but a girl’s gotta make do…

Spicy Baked Chicken Wings
Adapted from Brown Sugar Kitchen Cookbook by Tanya Holland
Yields about 20 wings

Her recipe is about perfect. The only thing I would do to improve it is to marinate the wings in buttermilk before baking. Read more…

Fig, Ricotta, and Goat Cheese Tart

Finger-Lickin’ Good
It’s the second week of December and holiday parties are in full swing. Between work parties and our own, I think I’ll see my husband for a total of 20 minutes this week.

I can’t imagine what it’s like to be a caterer at this time of year. I think I would lose my mind—those caterers are way better at the one party food that usually throws me for a loop, hors d’oeuvres.

I am known for my awesome guacamole. Most of my friends have enjoyed a Hot Cheezy Thing a time or two and I almost always have a cheese and cracker plate or veggie platter whenever I have people over. But the cute little bite-sized tasty tidbits? Not really my thing. I’m just not that great at coming up with that super yummy finger food idea.

The funny thing is that it can be difficult to find recipes for little appetizers unless you are looking just before New Years Eve. Hors d’oeuvres are to New Year’s as turkey is to Thanksgiving.

When I do come up with something, I tend to gravitate towards anything in puff pastry, cause it’s relatively simple to use and and it always impresses. Even better, you can take whole sheets and turn it into a tart (think carmelized onion, brie and pears!) that can be cut up into bite-sized pieces. Easy Peazy.

The recipe for Fig, Ricotta, and Goat Cheese Tart is a perfect example. And the tart is so pretty you may not want to cut it up…

Happy holiday partying!

Fig, Ricotta, and Goat Cheese Tart
Yields 20 to 24 bite-sized pieces Read more…

Two Easy Appetizers for Entertaining

The Meal Before The Meal
While there are some who like to eat outside of the box, for the most part, we all eat the same stuff on Thanksgiving. There aren’t too many surprises from table to table. If there is one thing about Thanksgiving that varies widely, it is when we eat the feast. Turkey timing can pose some significant problems if you are trying to keep your sanity and still have room for the meal. Let me explain.

Those who eat their Thanksgiving meals in the evening have the easiest time of it. You can get up, eat a regular breakfast, do whatever you need to get done until it’s time for a reasonable lunch, and then you coast into the dinner hour for the main event.

For those of us who eat in the early afternoon, it’s a challenge to balance the need for sustenance and making sure there is enough room come meal time—all while the scent of roasting turkey taunts you from the kitchen. The struggle is real.

The truly blessed are the ones who have multiple stops on the turkey train. They have the early meal with family and/or friends at one house then head out to round two at another friend’s/family’s house, thus avoiding the problem altogether. And if there is pie at both stops, you, my friends, are the winners of turkey day.

The solution, obviously, is to have some snacks to keep you going until it’s time to dig in. But, the last thing you want to do is add more to the list of things that need to be cooked and/or prepped. Also, you don’t want it to be too filling.

A veggie platter is great ‘cause it’s easy and light but sometimes you just need a little bit more—probably because the kids have stuck all of the olives from the platter on their fingers. (And, sometimes it’s not just the kids.)

The following two easy appetizer recipes can get you through those hours ‘till Thanksgiving. They are no-cook, easy-to-assemble tidbits that require ingredients you can just throw in the cart when you pick up your turkey. It’s also a great way to entertain the teenagers who are soooooo bored! ‘cause they can assemble the appetizers themselves and leave you to the other stuff.

With both of these recipes, you can adjust the quantities for the size of your crowd. Check out these recipes for Cranberry Walnut Bread with Brie and Sliced Fruit and Endive with Dill and Smoked Salmon.

No matter what hour you choose to dig in here’s wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Two Easy Appetizers for Entertaining
Cranberry Walnut Bread with Brie and Sliced Fruit
This one is super easy.

Ingredients
Acme Cranberry Walnut Bread
Softened Brie Cheese
Pink Lady Apples or D’Anjou Pears

Directions
Grab a loaf of Acme Cranberry Walnut Bread and slice it thinly into single serving sized pieces. Smear your favorite brie on the slices and top with thinly sliced pink lady apples or D’Anjou pears.

Endive with Dill and Smoked Salmon

Ingredients
Several Heads of endive
Piedmont Grocery’s Dill Dip
Smoked Salmon
Optional: Capers

Directions
Separate the endive lives from the head, and swipe the leaves with a spoonful of our Piedmont Grocery Dill Dip. Top each with a piece of smoked salmon and three or four capers (if using) for a tasty and gluten-free snack.